IHSAA Sectional Quarterfinals Begin Amid Coaching Changes

2026 Indiana High School Football: Coaching Milestones and Sectional Quarterfinal Shifts

Portage recently snapped a grueling 19-game losing streak with a tight 20-19 victory over LaPorte, injecting fresh momentum into the 54th annual IHSAA state football tournament as sectional quarterfinal matchups take center stage across the state. Paul Condry and Matt Kopsea reported regular season results, including a coaching win-list featuring Southwood's Bud Wright with 467 victories and Knox's Russ Radtke with 430.

Beneath the milestone win totals compiled by veteran coaches—including Brownsburg’s John Hart at 372 and Center Grove’s Eric Moore at 320—the regional picture has seen sudden leadership changes right ahead of postseason play. Troy Sausaman stepped down as John Glenn’s head coach on October 14 after posting a 1-7 record in his lone campaign with the Falcons, with athletic director Eric Stephens stepping in to guide the squad for the remainder of the season.

Mid-October Coaching Shifts Impact Sectional Openers

Program stability faced another test at Springs Valley. Head coach Jason Lowe was relieved of his duties on October 19 following an incident involving team players. Lowe finished his tenure with a 48-15 record over six seasons with the Blackhawks, leaving unanswered questions regarding leadership on the sideline for the team’s Class 1A Sectional 48 quarterfinal contest at West Washington.

While coaching exits disrupted routines at a few schools, numerous programs completed dominant regular-season runs. Northridge surged from a 2-7 record to an unblemished 9-0 mark this fall, mirroring Hagerstown’s turnaround from 3-6 to 9-0. Conference champions were crowned across the state ahead of the tournament brackets, ranging from Crown Point in the Duneland conference to New Palestine in the Hoosier Heritage race and Warren Central atop the Metropolitan standings. Additional conference titles went to Bluffton in the Allen County, Mississinewa in the Central Indiana, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard in the Circle City, Eastern Hancock in the Eastern Crossroads, East Central in the Eastern Indiana Big School division, Franklin County in the Eastern Indiana Small School division, Hammond Morton in the Great Lakes, Logansport in the Hoosier conference, Brownsburg in the Hoosier-Crossroads, Eastern (Greentown) in the Hoosier Heartland, Floyd Central in the Hoosier Hills, Indian Creek in the Hoosier Legends, Pioneer in the Hoosier North, Indianapolis Lutheran in the Indiana Crossroads, Tippecanoe Valley in the Indiana Northern State, Milan in the Mid-Indiana, Brownstown Central in the Mid-Southern, Decatur Central in the Mid-State, West Central in the Midwest, Cascade in the Monon, Lafayette Jeff in the North Central, East Noble in the Northeast 8, West Noble in the Northeast Corner Big School division, Eastside in the Northeast Corner Small School division, Penn in the Northern Indiana, Northridge in the Northern Lakes, Andrean in the Northwest Crossroads, Springs Valley in the Patoka Lake, Gibson Southern in the Pocket Big School division, North Posey in the Pocket Small School division, Danville in the Sagamore, Evansville Memorial in the Southern Indiana, North Daviess in the Southwest, Carroll (Fort Wayne) in the Summit, Maconaquah in the Three Rivers, Hagerstown in the Tri-Eastern, Riverton Parke in the Wabash River, and South Putnam in the Western Indiana.

Brownsburg Leads State with 28 Game Winning Streak

Entering the sectional quarterfinals, Brownsburg holds the state’s longest active winning streak at 28 games, backed by a 2025 unbeaten campaign. South Putnam has strung together 17 straight victories. Meanwhile, programs like Bluffton, Brownstown Central, Crown Point, Danville, Eastside, Eastern (Greentown), Eastern Hancock, East Noble, Evansville Memorial, Griffith, Hagerstown, Indian Creek, Logansport, Maconaquah, North Daviess, Northridge, Penn, Pioneer, and Warren Central all enter the tournament riding nine-game winning streaks.

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The IHSAA pairings are fully available on the IHSAA official website, outlining paths for contenders across all classes as sectional quarterfinal action unfolds across Indiana.